Field
The present disclosure relates generally to multi-media reader protection systems, and more particularly, to devices, systems and methods for detecting skimming devices and securely processing transactions.
Description of the Related Art
Card readers are data input devices employed to read data from a card-shaped storage medium such as a plastic card with a magnetic stripe. Card readers may be employed, for example, as access control devices and at self-service terminals, for example, automated teller machines (ATMs), gas pumps, retail credit/debit card terminals, parking facilities, etc.
Conventional self-service terminals are frequently encountered functioning as an automated teller machine (ATM) or account statement printer. In order to operate said terminal, the user, or customer, requires a bank card that usually takes the form of a magnetic stripe card or a contactless EMV card or an NFC enabled mobile or wearable device, which is read by a card reader, on which card data including personal customer and account data are stored. Unfortunately, manipulation at self-service terminals is being practiced to an increasing degree by third parties in order to illegally acquire these data.
To do this, third parties employ their own card reader, known as a skimming device, which are installed as unobtrusively as possible at the particular self-service terminal's card reader. The skimming device is positioned as directly as possible in front of the authentic card slot for the self-service terminal, replaces the actual card reader or places a card reader next to the existing card reader. When a customer inserts their bank card into the card reader or waves their card or mobile/wearable device over the card reader of the self-service terminal, its magnetic stripe, EMV chipset or NFC enabled chipset is also read by this illicit external card reader, whereby the third party acquires the card/mobile device data, in particular the customer's account data or device ID data, making it possible for the third party to produce an illegal copy of the bank card or mobile/wearable device. If the third party is additionally successful in spying out the PIN associated with the card or mobile/wearable device, they can easily withdraw money from the bank customer's account at automated teller machines (ATMs) using a counterfeit bank card/mobile device and the PIN. In order to obtain the PIN information, it is possible, for example, to install a counterfeit keypad over the genuine keypad in order to acquire the keystrokes that have been made or to install a micro video camera that captures images of the customer entering a PIN via the original keypad.
Therefore, a need exists for devices, systems and methods for detecting the invasion of skimming devices used in conjunction with a card reader.